You may have heard about the Tumblr blog Unhappy Hipsters, whose creators add their own sad captions to photos taken from the modern architecture and design magazine Dwell. Now, designer Ingrid Fetell has taken to her Psychology Today blog to look at how modern design might actually affect our mood, observing:

A 2007 study published in the journal Neuropsychologia revealed that angular forms have a strange, unconscious emotional effect on us. Viewing angular forms, as opposed to curved forms, triggers activation in the amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure in the limbic system of our brains associated with emotional memory—specifically fear. We may not feel any conscious fear, but this brief moment of activity translates to a general sense of dislike for these objects. One hypothesis is that in nature, angles suggest something to watch out for—a tree branch, a sharp rock, the edge of a cliff—all things around which a heightened sense of attention and caution is appropriate. But perhaps too many angles in our homes sets us on edge, and contributes to the sense of negative affect we feel toward much modern design.
Finally, I think that modernism’s restrained quality is fundamentally in tension with the idea of delight. Delight is an emotion of abundance—a celebration of sensation and richness. Delight and joy are primally connected to wellness, and wellness in nature is lush, plump, vibrant, and bountiful.